HD Photo: Microsoft’s next standard?

Is Microsoft looking to standardize its HD Photo format?

Windows Media Photo: from the name, you can deduce that it's a Microsoft format. HD Photo: sounds like an industry standard, right?

Last November, Microsoft renamed its JPEG competitor from Windows Media Photo to HD Photo. At the time, the company appeared to be simply looking to give its photo format a more generalized name, but now everything has become clear. Ars has learned that the company plans to announce that it will begin seeking standardization for the HD Photo format, essentially bringing it one step closer to becoming the next JPEG.

HD Photo's feature set includes fixed or floating point high dynamic range, wide gamut image encoding; more efficient compression compared to JPEG; lossless or high-quality lossy compression; the ability to store 16 or 32 bits of data per color; and a design intended for use by digital cameras. HD Photo also supports CMYK, RGB, and monochrome as well as embedded ICC color profiles.

A Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet that the Redmond giant "intends to standardize the technology and will be submitting HD Photo to an appropriate standards organization shortly." The announcement will likely take place at the Photo Marketing trade show in Las Vegas.

For more information about HD Photo, the specification is available for download from Microsoft. Keep an eye on this space for the standard-seeking announcement.